With an agreement signed in December 2017, Assoittica Italia is the most recent Partner to join GLOBEFISH.

Assoittica Italia, the National Association of Seafood Companies, was founded in 1986. It works with companies operating in the Italian seafood chain with the goals to provide them with a food safety framework, current trade scenarios and commercial prospects as well as possible enhancement of seafood products. The Association also provides support within the current regulatory framework and networks with industry bodies and associations to facilitate cooperation in commercial exchanges. Recently, Assoittica also signed an agreement in Vigo with CONXEMAR (the Spanish Association of Wholesalers, Importers, Manufacturers and Exporters, and a GLOBEFISH Partner), and ALIF (the Portuguese Association of Frozen Food Industry). The agreement is titled: "Agreement on cooperation for development, promotion and valorization of seafood products".

"Assoittica Italia has extended the horizons of its scope over the years," says Dr. Giuseppe Palma, General Secretary of the Association, "we wish to promote cooperation in trade not only in economic terms but also environmental and social, but above all we fully embrace corporate social responsibility, because a company which operates in a responsible manner brings benefits not only to its territory but also to itself ".

Promoting sustainable trade

Although Italy has more than 7 000 km of coastline and over 12 000 fishing vessels, 70 percent of the fish products destined for its domestic market are imported. In 2015, Italy imported fish and fishery products worth USD 5.6 billion, an amount that has more than quadrupled since 1980. As a result, Italy is the seventh largest global importer in value terms. Among the imported products, squid and octopus are the most popular, followed by tuna, shrimp, salmon, seabass and seabream, as well as some white fish and freshwater species.

Within this context, the Association acts as a focal point for all stakeholders of the sector that share common principles. The Association states "Our objectives include the fight against illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing practices, which lead, among other problems, to unfair competition, and the promotion of a responsible and sustainable fish consumption, both in terms of good diet practices and environmental protection and sustainability." says Professor Maria Luisa Cortesi, President of Assoittica. The Association currently represents about 80 companies engaged in the sector at the national level.

Consumer focus

According to 2015 data, the average per year fish consumption in Italy is 28.9 kg per capita, which is slightly higher than the average European level of 25.5 kg per capita. This suggests that Italian promotional campaigns on fish consumption, its nutritional benefits and best purchasing practices are essential in promoting responsible fish consumption consumption, as hoped by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda adopted by United Nations Member Countries. Assoittica Italia has promoted some initiatives aimed at providing information to the consumers on the fishery value chain, such as the "Practical Guide for the consumption of fish products during the Christmas period" and the "Practical Guide for the purchase of fish products during the summer period"  (the original titles in Italian are respectively Guida pratica al consumo di prodotti ittici in occasione delle festività and Guida pratica dall’acquisto al consumo di prodotti ittici in occasione del periodo estivo), which were written with the collaboration of the Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Lazio and Tuscany.

GLOEFISH welcomes the Assoittica as a new Partner, and by sharing principles such as sustainability, cooperation and responsibility, looks forward to working together towards the Blue Growth achievements.